Research Day Emphasizes How Science Improves Health and Changes Lives

Concern in the national higher education community over federal funding cuts for scientific research served as a backdrop for the annual Research Day held at the dental school Feb. 13. This year, 147 posters detailing a wide variety of research were submitted by the school’s students, postdoctoral trainees, staff and faculty.

Between morning and afternoon poster sessions at the Michigan League, a keynote address by former faculty member Dr. Russell Taichman and several awards were presented at Kellogg Auditorium at the dental school. Both Taichman and Dr. Vesa Kaartinen, the Dr. Roy H. Roberts Professor of Dentistry and Associate Dean for Research, said Research Day is a celebration of the impressive work being done in the dental school labs that is shaping the future of oral health and healthcare in general.

“We gather here at a time when science is being questioned in ways we haven’t seen in generations,” Kaartinen said. “But let me be clear: Science saves lives. Research finds ways to treat deadly diseases. Research improves the quality of life. These are not opinions; these are facts, demonstrated every day in our labs, clinics and communities.”

Taichman, now Chair of the Department of Basic and Clinical Translational Science at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston, Mass., was previously a faculty member at the U-M School of Dentistry and served as Associate Dean for Research. In addressing the early-career trainees during his address, Taichman cited an expression attributed to President Jimmy Carter and others – go out on a limb because that’s where the fruit is. “As you start your scientific careers,” he said, “it’s important to take on projects that you are passionate about but will have a high-yield of fruit long-term.”

“We need to keep at what we do,” he said. “And make sure that we promote the truth in all the things that we do. And the best way to examine the truth is by looking at it rigorously and examining it in an unbiased fashion. That’s what science is all about – trying to understand what our world is all about so we can treat human disease.”

Top award recipients include:

• Kelsey Gruber, a third-year dental student, received the SCADA Award (Student Competition for Advancing Dental Research and its Application) for her research, “Inhibition of Alkaline Phosphatase Alters Orthodontic Tooth Movement.” Faculty mentor: Nan Hatch.

Gruber will represent the school and present her research at the annual meeting and exhibition of the AADOCR in San Diego, California, in March 2026.

• Sarah Seohyun Chang, an undergraduate student in the lab of faculty member Marco Bottino, received the AADOCR Travel Award for attending the 2025 IADR/AADOCR annual meeting and exhibition in New York City in March, where she presented her research: “Modulation of Antimicrobial and Anti-Inflammatory Response Through Core-Shell Fibers Loaded with Metronidazole and Dexamethasone for Periodontal Therapy.” Faculty mentor: Marco Bottino

Category 1: Clinical Research, Public Health, Behavioral and Educational Research

• 1st Place among DDS, Hygiene, Masters and Undergrad students – RayJ Jackson, a fourth-year dental student. Research Title: “Members of the LGBTQ+ Community and Oral Healthcare Utilization.” Faculty mentor: Marita Inglehart

• 1st Place among PhD Students (DDS/ PhD), Postdoctoral Trainees and Staff –Bruno Ribeiro Braga, a visiting scholar in the Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry. Research Title: “Alveolar Bone Grafting with Mandibular Symphysis Bone: A Preliminary 3D Study.” Faculty mentor: Lucia Cevidanes

Category 2: Basic Science Research and Translational Science

• 1st Place among DDS, Hygiene, Masters and Undergrad students – Kelsey Gruber, a third-year dental student. Research Title: “Inhibition of Alkaline Phosphatase Alters Orthodontic Tooth Movement.” Faculty mentor: Nan Hatch

• 1st Place among PhD Students (DDS/ PhD) and Postdoctoral Trainees and Staff – Juliana Amorim dos Santos, a postdoctoral trainee in the Department of

Biologic and Materials Sciences & Endodontics. Research Title: “Novel Traces of Trigeminal Somatosensory Innervation in the Salivary Glands.” Faculty mentor: Isabelle Lombaert

Dental Hygiene Awards

• 1st Place Original Research Award – Vy Tran, Niebal Sukar and Manaal Zubair, fourth-year Dental Hygiene students. Research Title: “The Role of Prediabetes Risk Surveys and Chairside Glucose Testing in Michigan Dental Practices.” Faculty mentor: Iwonka Eagle.

Other Research Day Awards

• The Janice E. Berry Prize for Excellence in Research was presented to Dr. Marcell Costa de Medeiros, a Research Investigator in the lab of faculty member Dr. Nisha D’Silva in the Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine. Costa de Medeiros was cited for his dedicated and passionate research into oral cancer, during which he demonstrates diligence to rigorous and complex research procedures.

• Dr. Joshua Emrick, Assistant Professor of Dentistry in the Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences and Prosthodontics, received the Distinguished Faculty Mentoring Award. Emrick was described as “an incredibly caring and dedicated mentor, committed to supporting trainees not only within his research laboratory but also across the Dental School and surrounding research communities at U-M.”

• Jennifer Linzmeier, Research Administrator in the Office of Research, received the Research Staff Recognition Award. Her hands-on approach to training, project management and problem-solving on the Contracts and Grants Team was cited as “invaluable in overcoming challenges, ensuring compliance, and facilitating the success of numerous research projects.”

A complete list of the 2025 Research Day Awards is posted on the Research Day webpage.